Editor’s note: This story about a cool job is the last in a series this week about hot jobs in the Arkansas River Valley.

Christmas carols in July?

Why would people have the lyrics “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” stuck in their head?

Employees at Zero Mountain Inc. in Russellville work in winter-weather conditions year-round, and while they don’t go around singing Christmas carols, they do experience occasional snow flurries and icicles.

Zero Mountain is an outside cold storage warehouse that stores products for large-scale food producers. Facility Manager Cindy Parker said the warehouses store ingredients, products waiting to be processed and already frozen products until companies are ready to ship them to stores.

The loading and unloading dock is a cool 38 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, and the freezer is a constant minus-10 degrees. Products such as chicken that has been processed, but not yet frozen is immediately taken to the blaster freezer after being unloaded on the dock.

Opening and closing the doors between the dock and the two freezers occasionally causes snow flurries and even icicles to form.

Parker said there is a dehumidifier in the bathroom to keep the walls from sweating.

Just one touch to the window in the office that looks out into the warehouse, and visitors can feel just how cold the temperatures in the next room are.

What’s it like working in such cold temperatures year round? According to Cooley, once a person acclimates to the cold, it’s the best job in town.

“I come to work every day and drive a forklift and never break a sweat,” Cooley said of his job in the cold warehouse. “Where else can I do that?”

Cooley and other workers dress in clothing that adds around 10 pounds to their body weight for their jobs. While other area companies educate their employees about sun and heat safety, Zero Mountain employees work in the same conditions year-round and focus on one thing — keeping warm.

Cooley wears 400 grain insulated boots, insulated bib overalls over a sweatshirt and jacket, and two pairs of gloves each day. He said some employees also wear earmuffs and face masks.

“Your body gets acclimated to the cold,” Cooley said. “Zero Mountain provides us with all the safety gear needed to stay warm and we drink plenty of coffee. We take breaks every two hours and if someone needs an additional break, that is OK too.”

Cooley said his body is so acclimated to the colder temperatures that he never wears more than a light jacket outside during the winter months.

He said it is more difficult working in a cold environment during the summer. The added humidity outside actually makes it colder inside.

“It is almost a shock to your body when you get in your hot car every day,” Cooley said. “My glasses will fog up. My body is not used to being outside and I try to watch how much exposure to heat I get at home.”

Cooley added his wife no longer lets him use that as an excuse not to mow the lawn.